Chapter 3
Sometime after lunch, the falling snow turned into another complete white out. Mia suggested a Christmas movie marathon on the basement's impressive u-shaped couch. With some clever arranging, Mia used the upholstered ottomans to complete 'couch island' - a massive area perfect for lounging under luxurious throws while watching holiday classics.
While Mia and Ana munched on popcorn and got to know each other, they took turns choosing movies. A few hours into their movie marathon, the weather blocked the satellite tv's signal. The internet went down not long after. By 3pm, the power to Grey Manor went out. Grace came down to suggest that the girls take showers while the bathrooms were still illuminated with daylight. Luckily, the heat and hot water were powered with gas.
Mia loaned Ana some red plaid flannel pajamas. Ana found candles in the guest bath that she lit for extra light. She decided to forego washing her hair since she wouldn't be able to dry it. As Ana was finishing up in the guest room, she was struck with the thought that she had no presents to give to the Greys the next day. She supposed that they would also not have anything to give to her. Still, Ana wished that she had something to give to her gracious hosts. Maybe she should spend Christmas Day in the guest room to allow for her hosts to celebrate as a family?
It had been Mia's idea that everyone should wear their pajamas for dinner. Since the power was out, the meal would be casual snack foods that required minimal prep. Grace and Carrick had already taken the items from the refrigerator and placed them on the table on the back patio. The freezing weather would keep the food fresh until power was restored.
Ana wrapped up in her borrowed robe and slippers and padded downstairs to offer her assistance.
From the kitchen, Ana heard Christmas carols coming from a piano in another room. She found Grace, donning a similar robe and slippers, organizing an enormous charcuterie board.
"Grace, let me help you with this," Ana offered as she slipped a ruffled apron over her head.
"I would love some help. Here, you can sit on this stool. Would you mind slicing the dried meats? I'll get the cider going."
While Ana worked on the charcuterie, Grace got to work creating mulled cider on the gas stove top. Soon, the fragrant smells of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves permeated the air. As the sunlight grew dim, Grace lit candles throughout the downstairs.
"So Ana, does your family have any special Christmas traditions?"
"Just the usual things, I guess. It's usually just my stepfather Ray and me. On Christmas Eve, we watch It's a Wonderful Life. On Christmas morning we each sneak into the den to fill each other's stockings. I usually make a big breakfast casserole. We play Christmas music and open presents. Later, we cook a turkey and have a traditional Christmas dinner. When it gets dark, we drive around town looking at Christmas lights. That's my favorite part. We play Christmas music and enjoy looking at all of the different displays. People in Montesano go all out with the Christmas lights. It feels absolutely magical. What about you? What do you guys usually do for Christmas?"
"Well, I suppose we have our own holiday traditions. We usually go to the candlelight service at our Church on Christmas Eve. It is the one time a year that I can get the whole family to Church together. We sing carols and the story of the first Christmas is read. When Elliott, Christian, and Mia were children, they would wear costumes and join in the Church's Christmas pageant."
"Uggghh! Those costumes were the worst," Mia groaned as she joined Grace and Anna in the kitchen. "They have used the same costumes for at least 50 years. They are itchy and smelly and you have to play the part of whatever costume fits you. C'est horrible!"
"Oh come on, the costumes weren't that bad," Elliott said as he entered the kitchen. "You just didn't like it because Lily always got to be Mary and you were stuck being a Wise Man."
"I can't help it that I got my height early. At least I never had to be the donkey," Mia teased and smacked Elliott's hand when he went to grab an olive from the tray that Ana was assembling. Ana giggled at the back-and-forth between the siblings.
"Grace, I'm done with the board. Is there anything else that I can help with?"
Grace frowned, "I usually make an apple pie, but our ovens are electric so I don't see how that is possible this year."
Elliott frowned. "It won't feel like Christmas without your apple pie, Mom. It's my favorite thing," he whined.
Ana had an idea. "Grace, do you have a cast iron pot?"
"Hum, let me see. I have an enameled dutch oven. Will that do?"
"I think so," Ana replied. She quickly got to work lining the pot with parchment paper and gathering ingredients. Ana did not have any material gifts to share with her hosts, but she could help to make their Christmas special. She prepared the recipe for Ray's favorite campfire apple pie, Ana figured that she could make it over the gas burner in much the same way.
Soon after the Christmas music stopped, Christian appeared in the kitchen. The whole family was standing around in red flannel pajamas and robes. Ana basked in the energy that radiated from the Grey family as they took turns telling Ana stories from Christmases gone by. Elliott and Mia seemed to take delight in sharing embarrassing stories about Christian. To his credit, their usually grumpy brother took it all in stride as he laughed along. Ana supposed that growing up with siblings must make the holidays all the merrier.
Before long, Carrick was making his "Killer Christmas Cocktail." As best as Ana could tell, the hot toddies contained mulled cider and a healthy pour of caramel vodka. The steaming beverages were served in mugs adorned with Christmas trees and toy soldiers. It all felt so festive for the girl from Montesano who usually ate on disposable Chinette during the holidays.
At Grace's suggestion, they carried their drinks and the snacks into the living room. A giant Christmas tree glittered with white lights and an impressive collection of well-curated mercury glass ornaments. Lush, fragrant greenery hung from the mantle where stockings embroidered with each family member's name were hung. The air smelled of pine and the warm fire that crackled from the hearth. Really, Ana felt as if she had just walked into some kind of Pottery Barn-esque alternate universe.
Elliott excused himself and returned with an old golden retriever in tow.
"Murphy!" Mia squealed as she went to sit with the old fellow who stretched out in front of the fire. Grace shot Elliott the stink eye but permitted the dog to stay.
"Mom makes Murphy stay in the laundry room when Elliott brings him over," Christian explained to Ana when he came over to sit with her on one of the sofas.
"Awww, poor dog," Ana replied.
"You wouldn't feel so sorry for ole Murph' if you had been here the year that he stole the rack of lamb from the dining table. We ended up eating frozen pot pies for dinner that Christmas," Christian chuckled.
"It sounds like you have a lot of great holiday memories."
"We do. My mom always makes the holidays a special time for us. No matter how busy things are, she goes all out with the planning and decorating."
"I can tell. What's your favorite part of all of it?"
"I don't know. All of it, I guess now that we are grown, I like watching everyone open their presents. It's fun to see them get excited."
"How about when you were a kid. What was your favorite part?"
Christian rubbed his chin. Ana had to force herself to stop staring at this beautiful man. Instead, she diverted her attention to Murphy and Mia.
"Aside from getting presents? I guess it was playing pranks. I could usually talk Mia or Elliott into helping me play a trick or two," Christian laughed.
Elliott joined in their conversation. "Christian was always the best at pulling pranks. One year, he talked me into getting on the roof outside of Mia's bedroom. We rang jingle bells and pretended to be Santa."
Christian started laughing. "It was epic. We told Mia that since she wasn't in bed we were going to have to go on to the next house and she wouldn't be getting any presents."
"It was so not funny," Mia interjected. "It was, like, six o'clock. I spent the rest of the night thinking Christmas was ruined."
"That must have been the year you insisted on getting in bed before dinner," Carrick surmised.
"Sure was," Elliott added while high-fiving his brother. The siblings went on to recount stories of wrapping each other's doorways in plastic wrap and replacing wrapped gifts under the tree with things like charcoal, toilet plungers, and adult diapers.
Grace and Carrick shared sweet stories like the time Christian saved up his money and rode his bike to a toy store several miles away so that he could buy Mia a doll on which her heart was set. They told of the time that Elliott was in the hospital with an appendicitis so Mia and Christian spent the night camped out in line at the Apple store so their brother could be one of the first to have an iPad that year. Grace shared how her family would pack up Christmas dinner and bring it to her and her colleagues in the years when it was her turn to work at the hospital.
At some point, Christian left his seat beside Ana and stepped to the piano. He played Christmas carols while Carrick kept the hot toddies flowing.
Ana disappeared for a few moments. She returned with a tray full of plates heaped with steaming campfire apple pie topped with freshly whipped vanilla cream. Elliott was in heaven devouring his favorite Christmas treat. Ana beamed when everyone went back for seconds.
It wasn't long before the grandfather clock in the front hall struck midnight. Ana could not remember having had a more joyous Christmas. In just twenty-four hours, she felt like she had become the sixth member of the Grey family.
As the fire died down, the group began tidying up and preparing to retire. When Ana went to stand, sharp prickling ran through her feet. She winced and landed back on the couch. CHristian summoned his mother.
Grace encouraged Ana to sit by the fire to warm her feet a bit before climbing the stairs. Mia and Grace helped her hobble to the rug in front of the hearth. They settled Ana on the floor with plenty of cushions and several blankets as they finished clearing the desert plates and cider mugs. Grace instructed Christian to stay with Ana while Mia helped her mother clear the last of the dishes. Grace and Mia exchanged knowing winks.
It wasn't long before Christian and Ana were the only ones left in the living room. Ana giggled when she saw Elliott sneaking Murphy from the laundry room and up the stairs to his childhood bedroom. When Ana raised an eyebrow at him, Elliott gave her a quirky grin and said, "What? It's Christmas."
"Do you want another drink?" Christian asked.
"Just some water, if it's no trouble."
Christian returned with a glass for each of them. Ana patted the palette on the floor beside her. When Christian handed her the water, their fingers touched. Ana felt a spark of energy run through her. She bit her lip to keep from gasping. The last thing she wanted was for this Greek god to know that she was majorly crushing on him.
The pair sat with their feet outstretched to the warmth on the embers. Christian leaned forward to add another log. He stoked the fire until it was once again popping and crackling to life.
Ana felt the alcohol and late hour begin to tug at her eyelids. Christian arranged the cushions so that they could both lean back and watch the flames. They talked about mundane things such as whether or not Santa wrapped their presents when they were children and how old they each were when they learned the truth about jolly ole Saint Nick.
Ana found Christian an easy conversationalist. He seemed genuinely interested in learning about Ana's job and her passion for books. He answered her questions about starting GEH and his passion for feeding the hungry. Ana was mesmerized when he explained the logistics that went into arranging for aid to Darfur. Christian was used to the women he met through social engagements tuning out when he launched into describing his work. Ana surprised him by probing for more details. She seemed fascinated by the mundane details of the mergers and acquisitions world. As tired as they were, Neither Christian nor Ana were ready for the night to end.
Suddenly, a huge booming sound outside startled them both. Ana jumped a bit. Christian put his hand protectively on her bicep. Again, Ana felt that instant spark of electricity. For a second, she thought Christian felt it when he looked at his hand on her arm for several seconds. Christian strained his neck to look through the large bay window behind them.
"It looks like a big limb fell from one of the trees," he reported. Ana nodded as she stared at his silhouette in the moonlight.
When Kate recounted her awful interview with the billionaire, she failed to tell her roommate how absolutely gorgeous the man was. Ana supposed that Christian must workout every day to maintain his phenomenal build. It really was unfair just how stunning and perfect he was.
The pair found themselves facing each other. Christian was slow to remove his hand from Ana's arm. They both rested back on their cushions. Their noses remained just a few inches apart. It was Christian who broke the silence.
"Are you ready to head upstairs?" Christian stood and held out his hand to help Ana to her feet. When Ana winced with discomfort, Christian reached down and scooped her up, bridal style.
Before Ana could protest, Christian had her to the staircase. Unsure of where to put her hands, Ana wrapped them around his neck. She got a whiff of his scent and had to hold herself back from burying her nose in his delicious-smelling neck. Christian carried her up the stairs with ease. Yep, he definitely works out, Ana thought. He didn't put her down until they reached the guest room. Ana assured her hero that she would be fine to brush her teeth and get herself to bed. The two stood in her doorway, neither making a move to go. Finally, Ana stood on her tiptoes, placed her hands on Christian's shoulders, and gave his cheek a soft kiss.
"Good night," she whispered into his ear before retreating into the guest room. Ana fought the devil on her shoulder that was prodding her to grab this sex-god's hand and pull him to her bed. As attracted as she was to the middle Grey sibling, Ana knew he was way out of her league. Ana could count the total number of dates she had ever had on one hand. Aside from a few chicken pecks good-night, Ana had little experience with the opposite sex. Christian Grey was Seattle's most sought after bachelor. Despite Kate's theory that he was gay, Ana felt quite sure that the billionaire was very much into the opposite sex. He probably had a woman for every night of the week.
As Ana prepared herself for bed, she was totally unaware of the man on the other side of her door who was thinking about the brunette beauty who was the most enthralling creature that he had ever met.